Folding cabinet.



W. R. MONTGOMERY. FOLDING CABINET.

Witnesses APPLICATION HLED JULY 24.1915.

Patented Sept. 26,1916.

2 SHEET-SHEET 1.

W. R. MONTGOMERY. FOLDING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24.1915.

1,199,293. Patented Sept. 26,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses I nventor fl\ IigQW/YaW by I 78 2. 7 Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER R. MONTGOMERY, OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SOUTHERN FOLDING FURNITURE COMPANY, INC., 015 SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, A CORPORATION OF LOUISIANA.

FOLDING CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER R. MONT- ooMnRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shreveport, in the parish of Caddo and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Folding Cabinet, of which the following is -a specification.

The present invention appertains to folding or collapsible furniture, and aims to provide a novel and improved folding cabinet.

It is the object of the invention to provide a folding or collapsible cabinet of such construction that it may be easily folded within a small compass, whereby it may be compactly stored or transported, the cabinet being thoroughly rigid when erected and being adapted for use as a kitchen cabinet,

china cabinet, cupboard, and the like.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a folding cabinet which may be manufactured or constructed at an initial small cost, for the benefit of the manufacturer, and which can be shipped compactly, the structure also being quite light in weight, to reduce the expense of transportation materially. Furthermore, the cabinet may be readily erected or set up, without the necessity of assembling a number of independent parts, all the parts of the present cabinet being assembled and being readily swung or moved into position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a cabinet, the front wall, sides,

shelves and other parts of which fold to- I gether in a novel manner and into a compact relation when the cabinet is not in use.

It is also within the scope of the invention to provide a cabinet which is comparatively simple, inexpensive, light and sub,- stantial in construction, as well as being thoroughly practical, convenient, serviceable and efficient in use.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front view of the cabinet. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section thereof taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. at is a vertical section of the cabinet in folded position. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 1s a perspective view illustrating one of the hinges for hinging or pivoting the respective side wall to the front wall.

Referring to the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, the cabinet illustrated therein embodies an upright front wall 1 constructed of wood or other suitable material, and having legs 2, and rearwardly projecting flanges 3 along its upright or side edges. The front wall 1 has an opening 4 therein, and a pair of doors 5 have their remote edges hinged, as at 6, to the front wall 1 at the upright side edges of the opening 4, and the doors 5 may be provided with screen or other suitable panels 7. The doors 5 are shorter than the front wall 1 and have their lower ends spaced above the lower end of the wall 1. A horizontal cross bar 8 is terminally secured to the front wall 1 within the opening 4 and between the upper and lower ends of said wall, the bar 8 being disposed immediately below the doors 5. Disposed within the lower portion of the opening 4 underneath the doors 5 and cross bar 8, is a door 9 which has the outward appearance of a drawer, and the door 9 is hinged adjacent its lower edge to the front wall 1 so that the door 9 can be swung open downwardly. To this end, the ends of the door 9 are provided with-outstanding dowels or lugs 10 pivotally engaging the wall 1 adjacent the lower end or legs 2 thereof. The door 9 is preferably provided at its free edge with a suitable latch 11 for holding the door 9 closed, it being understood that the doors 5 may also be held closed, if desired, by a suitable latch or catch. 7

The cabinet also embodies upright side walls 12 constructed of wood or other suit able material, and having their forward upright edges hinged to the edges of the flanges 3. To this end, strips 14 are secured to the upper and lower ends of. the flanges and project therefrom, and the upper and 1 lower ends of the side walls 12 have outstanding dowels or lugs 13 adj aceut the forward rounded edges of said walls 12 and pivotally engaging the strips 14, whereby when the cabinet is folded or collapsed, the walls 12 can be swung inwardly and for wardly toward one another and toward the front wall 1. The walls 12 may have meshed wire or other suitable panels 15 if desired.

to the rear or free edge of the toprsection 17, and which has its side edges suitably secured to the rear edges of the sidewalls 12. The lower portion of the fabric or back 19 is extended forwardly, as at 20, and the lower end of the fabric is attached in any suitable manner to the lower edge of the door 9, and said lower or bottom portion 20 is also attached to the lower ends of the side walls 12. lVhen the side walls 12 are swung apart to normal position, the fabric will be held taut therebetween. The fabric is pref-' erably painted or otherwise provided with a vermin repelling substance, to guard against the liability of insects, rodents and the like, from chewing or eating holes in the fabric. It may be mentioned here that the fabric eliminates the use of a heavy back wall and a heavy bottom, and considerably lightens the weight of the cabinet, whereby the same may be more easily transported or moved about. This also reduces the cost of manufacture.

The cabinet is provided with a plurality of vertically spaced shelves 21 having their forward edges hingedly connected with the front wall, and to this end, the ends of the shelves 21 are provided adjacent the forward edges of said shelves with outstanding dowels or lugs 22 pivotally engaging in the flanges o. The shelves 21. are disposed between saidflanges, and when swung downwardly to horizontal or normal position are seatable upon cleats 24: secured to the inner surfaces of the side walls 12.

lVhen the cabinet is erected, which may be readily accomplished, the shelves 21 being swung downwardly and seating upon the cleats 24L will hold the side walls 12 separated, whereby the sheet of fabric 19 will moved from the shelves 21 when the doors 5 are swung open; The cabinet may be used for a kitchen cabinet, a china cabinet, cupboard, and in fact for various purposes for which it is suited.

' The side walls 12 are provided with legs 25 adjacent their rear edges, for cooperating with the legs 2 to support the cabinet.

To fold the cabinet, the shelves 21 are. swung upwardlyand forwardly between the:

flanges 3 and against the front wall 1, this being readily accomplished when the doors 5 and 9 are opened, and when this is done, the side walls 12 can be swung inwardly and forwardly, as seen in Fig. 5, and finally the loose section .17 of the top is swung downwardly, as seen-in Fig. 4:. The sheet of fabric 19 will fold with the side walls,

and the upper end of the sheet 19 is preferably detachably secured to the section 17, whereby the sheet may-be detached from the section 17 prior to thefolding of the parts. When the structure is folded it may be com pactly stored or shipped, which is of advantage for obvious reasons, and it is'tobe noted that in collapsing the-structure, none of the parts need be separated or taken apart. The cabinet may therefore be erected easily and without confusion, since it isonly necessary to swingjthe parts'into normal position.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A folding cabinet comprising a front wall having rearwardly pro ecting flanges at its side edges, side walls hinged to said flanges, a sheet of flexible material attached to the rear edges of the side'wallsshelves disposed and pivotally mounted between the flanges and adapted to be swung between the side walls, and a top comprising one sec 131011 secured upon the upper ends of the front wall and its flanges and a second sec tion hinged to the aforesaid section 'and' f the flanges and adapted to be swung between the side Walls, a top comprising one section secured upon the upper ends of the front Wall and its flanges and a second section hinged to the aforesaid section and seatable upon the upper ends of the side Walls, the upper end of said sheet being detachably engageable with the second section of the top and the lower end portion of said sheet being extended forwardly to form the bottom of the cabinet and being attached to the 10 lower ends of the side and front Walls.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my oWn, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WALTER R. MONTGOMERY.

Witnesses IVY E. SIMPSON, PHILOMENA A. ROGKELLI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

